[Ruud Van Driver]

Originally Posted by JacksonStone

Quite possibly. There is a bit more to the story, but since my initial post was already long, I didn't want to make it longer. When the watch first arrived, I took it in to a local watchmaker who noted that the movement's amplitude was low and needed service. I returned it to the seller, and their watchmaker did a service. Up to that point, I hadn't worn the watch, but I did look at it a number of times and didn't notice the damage. It was only after receiving the watch back from service that I began wearing it, and then noticed the crack. Since the damage doesn't jump out at you, it's possible it was there from the beginning and I just hadn't seen it. But it's also possible their watchmaker damaged the dial during service. It was a 12-year-old watch, and had no available service history, so it's hard to know if it had been serviced before. But given the nature of the damage, I can only assume it occurred at a time when the movement and dial were out of the case. I can't think of a way it could have happened when cased up.

The seller and I didn't discuss what caused the damage, but they immediately acknowledged that it wasn't repairable, and that a dial replacement wasn't practical. They took responsibility, accepted the return and issued a refund.

At least they did the right thing and took the watch back.

Don’t give up on the brand though. As much as I love my Rolex, Panerai produce some awesome pieces. Go hunting again and keep us posted